Lacuna - N.R. Walker Page 0,107

had. He fought to stay conscious. He tried to fight unconsciousness. He refused to die without the chance to raise his sword in defence. He refused to die without seeing Crow one more time.

He refused to die lying down.

Tancho put his hands to the floor and pushed himself up to his knees. His head was aching, his vision was blurry, and he swayed, but he knelt back on his haunches. He focused on Crow, who was also on his knees. A creature had its huge claw on his shoulder. Crow’s gaze met his, and he gave a defeated nod.

Whoever or whatever was coming through the doorway would be their end.

The doorway seemed to burn brighter, the light behind was bright and blinding. Tancho had to squint, the pain in his head piercing now, matching the ringing in his ears.

But then the figures stepped into the room, as if moving in slow motion, and the doorway snapped closed behind them. They were no creatures, no monsters from another realm.

It was their mentors. The old teachers who had raised them. And they walked into the room like royalty.

Asagi’s long white cape flowed like water as he lifted his two katanas. Erelis, all in black, swung his broadsword. Sirocco in red, lifted her crossbow to aim, and Oaken wielded an axe in each hand.

And like something from a dream, the four mentors unleashed an unholy display of skill and violence. They hacked, carved, pierced, and chopped. Effortless and without mercy, as fast and as silent as a ray of sunlight, the mentors truly schooled their students. The carnage was swift and complete, slaying every creature in the grand hall where it stood.

Except for Maghdlm.

She stood, horrified and stunned, motionless. With an almighty screech, she waved her hands and mumbled a curse and all the blades, all the swords and steel, turned to rusted iron. Crumbling and breaking apart in their hands.

If more creatures came through now, they had nothing to fight them with.

Crow scampered to his feet, sprinting across the hall, and tackled Maghdlm. They slammed into the tiled floor and slid, and the old Ascii woman kicked and screamed, but Crow pinned her face-down, her arm lifted behind her back. She was strong, but Crow was gloriously angry.

Erelis and Asagi both threw their broken swords to the ground and turned to the doorway openings. They threw a handful each of a powdered mixture and recited a chant Tancho hadn’t heard before, and as the powder came into contact with the sparks of the spinning doorways, there was a loud bang! A bright orange cloud of flame billowed out and shrunk back in on itself until nothing remained, and the doors were simply gone.

Above them, the eclipsed sun and moons’ light moved, no longer a direct beam through the dome above. The eclipse was no more.

And just like that, it was over.

Tancho heard cheering, the soldiers’ cries of elation rang distant in his ears. He turned to find Crow pulling Maghdlm to her feet, guards quickly securing her hands behind her back.

Asagi went to Tancho, helping him stand. “Are you well, my king?”

Tancho managed a nod. “Please see to Karasu and Kohaku,” he said, looking over to where they lay.

Samiel and Elmwood were freed from their restraints. Samiel limped badly, her temple bleeding. Elmwood had taken a large gash to his arm, and his swollen face was already bruising.

But Crow, sweaty, dirty, one sleeve torn off at the shoulder, bleeding from a scratch down the side of his neck, walked through the swarming crowd, his eyes fixed only on Tancho. He collected him in a crushing hug, holding him far too tight and nowhere near tight enough.

And there, in front of everyone, Crow took Tancho’s face in his hands and kissed him. He tasted of every emotion, every word he could not say, and Tancho nodded because he understood.

When Crow pulled back, he tucked Tancho into his side and faced Erelis. “A teacher’s job is never done,” Crow said, his voice raspy. “Never have I been more grateful for a lesson.”

Erelis grinned and hugged Crow. “A lesson for us all, I believe.”

Asagi came over, helping Karasu and Kohaku as they limped over. Tancho rounded his friends up in an embrace. “I thought you dead.”

“Us?” Karasu asked. “We watched you be thrown into some unknown portal. And Crow dived in . . .” She scrubbed a tear from her blood-stained, dirty cheek. “We thought you both gone from this world.”

“We almost were,” Tancho said.